


Broomsticks on Fire

by Emachinescat



Category: American Dragon: Jake Long, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Crossover, F/M, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, General spoilers, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-03-30
Updated: 2008-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-13 15:32:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 11,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1231720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emachinescat/pseuds/Emachinescat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and the gang are selected by Dumbledore to participate in a muggle-studies student exchange program and get to go to NY. As usual, Dumbledore has something else up his sleeve, and it involves one street-savvy kid named Jake Long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own either fandom. This is purely for entertainment. Hope you enjoy! :)

Harry Potter's green eyes widened as they traveled along the small sheet of parchment that had been given to him by Colin Creevey just moments earlier.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Please come to Professor Flitwick's classroom tonight at 7:00 PM sharp. You and nine other students have been chosen to participate in a special new program that Hogwarts has started. It will be filled with great opportunities for yourself, and plenty of good times as well. However, if you do not oblige us with your presence at our meeting promptly at 7 PM, then we shall assume that you have declined our offer and that you will not be participating, in which case, another student shall take your place._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall_

He didn't have time to contemplate the meaning of the letter, however, for at that moment, his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger ran to his side and waved identical pieces of parchment in his face. "Look, Harry!" said Ron excitedly. "Did you see it? We've been chosen—ten of us—out of the whole school! Me and Hermione!"

"Oh, Harry, it's so exciting!" said Hermione. She then noticed that Harry held a note in his hands as well. She threw her arms around him, and he blushed, embarrassed. "We all are going!"

"Yeh, I wonder what it is, though," said Harry, staring at the note once more.

"Don't be impatient—we'll just have to see at the meeting!"

Ten people filed into Professor Flitwick's classroom that evening, all looking very excited. Harry saw many people he knew…here came Cho Chang (his heart leaped)…oh, there was Neville Longbottom (how did he get chosen?)…and could it be?…yes, Fred and George Weasley! Including he and his friends, there were seven people in the room. The door opened once more…in came a tall, pretty seventh year that Harry had never seen before…and Katie Bell, from Quidditch…and no, it couldn't be…but it was…Harry's heart fell miserably. Draco Malfoy had just walked into the room.

He had no time to say anything, for Professor Dumbledore called the meeting to order. "I suppose you are all very anxious to hear what you have been called here. This special program…it is sponsored by Muggle Studies, and—"

At that moment, several hands went into the air. "Yes, yes, I know what you all are thinking. None of you, all except for Ms. Granger, are in Muggle Studies. This trip has nothing to do with that class except for the fact that it is sponsored by the class and you will be interacting with Muggles.

"Trip?"

"Ah, yes, did I mention that the ten of you are going to New York City, in America?"

Everyone was elated, and Dumbledore went on to explain the details, and how they would get their work done, the guardians, and so forth.

As the elated students left the room, Dumbledore pulled Harry, Ron, and Hermione aside. "It was not just chance that you were sent on this trip. There is someone that you need to meet in New York. All questions will be answered in time. For now, though, let us say that…hmm…do not be surprised if you meet up with me in New York. By the way…I hope you have been paying attention in Care of Magical Creatures? Hagrid does know quite a bit about dragons…" And with that, he left the room, leaving Ron, Harry, and Hermione standing bewildered in the empty classroom.


	2. Chapter 2

"Now, class, take out your Mythology books," said Professor Rotwood. "Ve are talking about-" He was cut short as the door was opened and three kids walked hesitantly into the room.

"Vhat do you vant?"

"Uh…" said a boy. He was tall and thin, with messy jet black hair, amazing green eyes, round glasses…and what made his appearance seem so odd, a thin, lightning shaped scar on his forehead.

"Well…" said the other boy. He was even taller than the first, and had messy red hair, brown eyes, and freckled covered face.

"Please, sir," spoke up the girl, who had bushy brown hair and slightly crooked front teeth, "I am Hermione Granger, and this is Harry and Ron. We are students visiting from London, England, and we were told that our next class is Mythology…with you."

Professor Rotwood frowned and muttered something about "inconsiderate people", but said, "Okay. You, ah, Ron, is it? Yes you, vith the red hair…you sit next to Trixie…the empty seat…yes…and you…Hermione? Sit next to Spud, the idiot playing vith the pencil…and, Harry…go sit…next to Mr. Long…the disrespectful student vith the unruly hair.

A skinny, Asian-American boy from the back row looked up at his teacher, annoyed. He seemed on the verge of saying something back, but the girl, Trixie, shot him a warning look, and he sat back down, muttering angrily to himself. Harry hoped that he wasn't another Draco Malfoy type. He was lucky to have no classes save for one with him, and really didn't want to meet another person just like it.

However, as he took a seat next to the boy, he smiled uncertainly at Harry and said, "Yo, my name's Jake Long."

"Harry. Harry Potter."

"Cool."

 _Wow,_  thought Harry. _It feels so cool to be able to tell someone my name and they don't get excited and start babbling about my scar…_

* * *

Later that day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking to the apartment that everyone was staying in. They were greeted at the door by Fred and George.

"Awww…" said Fred, grinning. "Did ickle Ronnie enjoy his first day of muggle-school?"

"Shut up," Ron muttered, annoyed.

"I thought it was quite fascinating," said Hermione as they went to Harry and Ron's room to talk. "Especially Mythology. Amazing, isn't it, the way Muggles think about magic?"

"Boring to me," said Ron.

"I just wish I was seated next to someone else…" Hermione sighed.

"Why?"

"The boy I sit next to, Spud, is so…erm…distracting. It was dreadful trying to take notes while he balanced a pencil on his nose."

Harry laughed slightly. "Yeah, I guess. The guy I sat next to seemed to be pretty nice. He spent the whole class doodling and imitating the Professor."

Hermione sniffed disapprovingly and said, "I don't think it was very polite to make fun of the Professor. Even if his views on magic aren't accurate…"

"Yeah, but how would he know it was wrong?" said Ron.

"He wouldn't…oh, forget it!"

At that moment, there was a knock on the door and Charlie, Ron's older brother, who was acting a guardian stepped in.

"Hey, you three. Is there any chance that you'd want to go to the Megas Bazaar with me?"

"What's that?" Ron asked, interested.

"Oh, honestly!" scoffed Hermione. "Don't you read? It is the magical marketplace of New York. Sort of like Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade."

"Sure, we'll come!" Ron said, speaking for all of them.

"Great. I only asked you three because, well, someone is supposed to be there that I wanted to meet, but most importantly, that Dumbledore wants you three to meet. So let's go!"

When they arrived in Megas Bazaar, all were intrigued to see many varieties of creatures at booths. Ron stopped at one selling potions, and the girl behind the cart said, "Hi, I'm Veronica."

"Hi, nice to meet you," said Ron, but backed off when he saw that the girl had the body of a spider.

After a while of looking around (Hermione bought a book entitled  _Mermaids of the Hudson_ , Ron bought a pin saying "I survived the Megas Bazaar!", and Harry paid for a broomstick polishing kit) the foursome spotted Dumbledore.

"Ah, let's go!" said Charlie.

Dumbledore was talking to two people: one was a short old Chinese man, and the other seemed strangely familiar to Harry; he was Asian-American, with spiky black hair, and was looking bored—it couldn't be—but it was…

"Ah, Harry," said Dumbledore, smiling brightly, "this is my old friend Lao Shi and his grandson, Jake Long."

Jake looked at Harry and suddenly looked very interested. "Yo, what up, Harry?"

"Er…hello," said Harry awkwardly.

"Hi," said Hermione.

"What's going on?" Ron asked.

Charlie pushed past the three of them and acknowledged Dumbledore politely, but then focused his attention on Jake and Lao Shi.

"Hi," he said, wringing both of their hands in turn. "It's very nice to meet you, I'm sure. Charlie Weasley. I work with dragons in Romania…full-bloods, of course, and might I say, it is an honor to meet you."

"Ah, Dumbledore said you would be around," said Lao Shi, smiling.

The adults seemed to have some kind of knowledge of something that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Jake did not know about yet. But they soon would.

Dumbledore led everyone into a nearly empty pub, where he got them a table in the corner and said, "We will explain everything in a moment, but first, it is important that you all know this: the Order and the Council have been doing strenuous research and went on some dangerous missions, and we think we may have a new lead on Voldemort and the Dark Dragon."

Harry, of course, didn't know who the Dark Dragon was, and Jake didn't know about Voldemort, but they remained silent, clinging on to Dumbledore's words.

"We do not know much, but what we do know is this: Harry, you and Jake may be in grave danger."


	3. Chapter 3

"Danger?" said Jake. "As in...?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry and Jake seriously over his half moon spectacles and said, "Ah...I believe that we must know a little more about each other before I explain your situation any further." He brightened, and his blue eyes twinkled merrily, as if he were about to reveal some huge secret.

All eyes were on him as he turned to Jake. Nobody spoke, so he began. "Jake," said Dumbledore, "I know that since you and your grandfather don't deal with wizards and witches very often, especially in London, you do not know much about them. I take it...you haven't heard of the evil wizard Lord Voldemort?"

Jake frowned and said, "Nah, I don't think so."

"No, young one," said Lao Shi. "We have not learned about him."

"Very well," said Dumbledore, "I suppose I should tell you about him. He is an evil wizard, as evil as they come, and is obsessed with power. He went around, looking for followers, and killed anyone who got in his way. He used an Unforgivable Curse, Avada Kedavra, on the victims he wished to kill instantly, and there was no escape...no one ever survived it...save for one person..."

"Who?" said Jake eagerly, interested.

"Me," said Harry quietly.

"You? So...'yall are wizards? Sweet."

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "On Halloween several years ago, Voldemort came to the Potter house after a betrayer gave him the information. He killed Harry's parents, but since Lily died for Harry, who was only a baby at the time, he was protected by love. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, the curse backfired, and he was stripped of his powers. He fled, barely alive, but has now regained power-" he glanced at Harry and said, "I shall not tell you how at the moment, but I do feel that you should know when Harry feels like revealing it."

"So this evil psycho is back in power and is looking for Harry? Whew, and I thought I had problems."

"You do," said Dumbledore quietly.

"Oh, yes, young one," said Lao Shi, "you have many more problems than you can imagine."

"Like...?"

"We will tell you in a moment. But first-Harry," said Dumbledore.

Harry turned to Dumbledore and said, "Yes, Professor?"

"You know of dragons, of course," he began, but paused for a moment, amused, as he saw Charlie's face brighten and Harry and Ron grimace. Jake felt slightly offended, but what he didn't know was that Harry and Ron had both had unpleasant experiences with the beasts.

Harry, being forced to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, had to get an egg from a mother dragon...that had been terrifying, and had left him with a painful cut on his shoulder. Ron remembered when Hagrid had "adopted" the baby Norwegian Ridgeback, Norbert. The little monster had blew flames at everything, and snapped at people, and left a bloody mess wherever it decided to eat its food (mainly dead rodents), but what left Ron in constant fear of dragons was that the fact that Norbert had bitten him. He decided he would never get over that.

"Yes," said Ron. "We know of them. Nearly had my arm bitten off by one, but we love the little brutes."

"Say what?" said Jake.

Dumbledore shot him an amused look, and then turned to Ron and Harry, who were looking a bit confused.

"Why does it matter if we've seen a dragon?"

"Well, I think you would profit from knowing that there are two types of dragons in the world."

"Yeah," muttered Ron. "One's bit and evil, and the other is little and nasty."

"Oh, you never read, do you?" said Hermione, exasperated. "Honestly, I don't know how you're passing school. The kind of dragon that you have encountered is full blood. They are regular dragons that concentrate solely on killing, eating, roaring, breathing fire, and so forth. However-"

"There is another kind," cut in Charlie.

"Yes..." said Lao Shi, smiling.

"These dragons," continued Dumbledore, "are guardians over magical creatures, they have their own government, are very intelligent, and can shape shift into human form whenever they please."

Charlie grinned, and looked as if he were about to burst. Harry and Ron exchanged confused glances.

Hermione, however, looked elated. "Of course! Why didn't I see it before? Jake-you and your grandfather, you're dragons, aren't you?"

Dumbledore and Lao Shi exchanged amused glances.

"So what you're trying to tell us..." Ron said slowly, "is that you are dragons that look like people?"

Jake looked at Lao Shi who nodded slightly. "DRAGON UP!" shouted Jake, and there were several different reactions to what happened next. When they saw Jake's body being covered with flames as he morphed into a large red dragon, each person reacted in a different way.

Dumbledore smiled, but showed no change in expression, as if he saw this every day. Lao Shi did see this every day, but he couldn't help smiling proudly as his grandson went full dragon as easily as if he were tying a shoe. Charlie beamed, looking absolutely fascinated, and Hermione, although she had been expecting it, was a little startled, and stepped back, looking amazed. Harry stood open-mouthed, wishing that Hagrid could see this. Ron's reaction was the most amusing, however. He yelped in alarm, and dove behind the table. He recovered as Jake turned back into human form, and soon Jake was surrounded by his newly found friends, feeling happier than he had in a while.

If only he knew what Dumbledore was about to tell him. But he didn't. And that is why he was happy.


	4. Chapter 4

After things had calmed down a bit, Dumbledore had everyone sit down again. "I have something to say that you may not want to hear," he began, "however, it would be foolish not to tell you, so I shall tell you anyway."

"Okay, shoot," said Jake.

Dumbledore smiled, as if amused by Jake's way of speaking, and said, "Very well, I will 'shoot'. As most people know, the Dragon Council and the Ministry of Magic do not meet very often, but when they do, it is because of a very crucial matter. When Lord Voldemort returned, it was a very crucial matter. We contacted the Council at once. Little did we know, they had a very crucial matter on their hands as well...it seemed that the Dark Dragon, the most feared magical creature in the world, not unlike Lord Voldemort, had come back again, after disappearing."

"We also found out something very interesting-and a bit disturbing as well..." said Charlie.

"What?"

"Well," continued Dumbledore, "when Voldemort came back, it was just before the summer holidays. So it was with the Dark Dragon."

Jake and Harry looked at eachother, confused. "So, you're sayin'...?" began Jake.

"The Order and the Council got together and compared dates-and it seems that they disappeared on the same day!" said Charile.

"Hold on-" said Harry. "You're not saying...you think they are the same-but that-that's not possible."

"Yeah," said Jake. "Gramps defeated the Dark Dragon years before the Voldemort punk disappeared!"

"Yes...but you must remember...of course, Jake, you wouldn't know of it...but Harry...we've had many discussions about this before...do you remember what a horcrux is?"

"Are you saying...that the Dark Dragon is a horcrux?"

"What's a horcrux?" Jake asked.

"It is when someone splits their soul into several different parts, so that he is nearly immortal."

"So DD is like part of Voldemort's soul...?"

"That is our theory," Dumbledore sighed.

"But I don't understand," came Hermione's voice, which suprised everyone very much. You rarely heard her say that she didn't understand anything. "I mean, even if the Dark Dragon is a horcrux, and a powerful one at that, why didn't Voldemort disappear the same day that Jake's grandfather stopped the Dark Dragon?"

"He wasn't the biggest part of Voldemort's soul," muttered Harry quietly.

"Precisely," said Dumbledore. "Now, we believe that when Voldemort came back, the Dark Dragon was also given his strength back, and, of course, the first thing he wanted to do was get revenge on the one who defeated him...Of course it hadbeen nearly forty years...he found out that his grandson was going to be at the Isle of Draco...and decided to destroy him before he got too powerful.

"You see, Harry...Jake, you two have a lot in common...it is very dangerous for you to be out and about. Now that Voldemort and the Dark Dragon are powerful again..." Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "You boys need to be very careful...

"Now," he continued, "The Council and Order have decided to get together and protect you boys together."

Harry and Jake both opened their mouths at the same time, as if intending to say something in protest, but Dumbledore held up his hand.

"I know what you are thinking," he said, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. "I know you can protect yourselves, but it is just...extra protection. Harry, did you know that the dementors are now on Voldemort's side again?"

"They are?" Harry said, turning a bit pale.

"And Jake," said Lao Shi, "many powerful magical creatures, such as nixes, trolls, and ogres have joined the Dark Dragon's army."

"Really?" Jake said, he too becoming a little pale.

"You see? So we have devised a plan so you will be protected at all times. Jake, during the school year, you will accompany us to the wizard school, Hogwarts. You will participate in the classes, although you will not be able to do the magic, you can still take notes and learn all you can about the subject...we will not put much stress on you, however, because you must also train with your grandfather and complete your schoolwork..."

"And Harry," said Lao Shi, "during the summer months, you will accompany Jake and I to the Isle of Draco..."

"Oh Harry!" squealed Hermione. "You are so lucky!"

"Yeah," muttered Harry out of the corner of his mouth, "if being hunted down by the most feared wizard in the world is lucky, then I guess I'm a pretty lucky kid."


	5. Chapter 5

Soon everything was arranged. Dumbledore and Lao Shi were going to go to Jake's house and inform his mother of what was to happen. Jake felt sorry for them. He told them so, but Dumbledore just smiled, a twinkle in his eyes.

He suggested that Jake go with Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Charlie to the apartment and meet the other people. They would be leaving for Hogwarts in a month, when the trip was scheduled to end, and he wanted Jake to be acquainted with the sort of people he would be staying with.

On the way to the apartment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were wanting to talk to Jake, but Charlie rarely gave them the chance. "I work with full-blood dragons in Romania," he said.

"Oh...that's cool..." said Jake, then turned to finish his discussion on Weasly's Wizard Wheezes with Harry, Ron, and Hermione (he wanted to be able to outdo Fred Nurke when he went back to Draco Island).

But Charlie wasn't finished. "Yes, very fun. Of course, you get a lot of burns, but I love the creatures so much..." he laughed. "The Horntails are the worst of course. Most dangerous breed, with those teeth, sharper than most dragons, plus the spikes down his tail. Quite remarkable, really, though. And when Hagrid sent me Norbert-he's a Norwegian Ridgeback-I was so pleased. Little fellow-although not little anymore-is great, can blow fire for about ten feet..."

He went on and on.

"Charlie!" Ron hissed finally, about five minutes from the apartment, inturrupting a lecture on how and how not to approach a dragon("of course, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Jake?")

"What, Ron?"

"I hate to tell you this, but you are almost as annoying as Percy and his 'cauldron bottoms' report. We want to talk to Jake too."

Charlie was about to retort, but when he saw that Harry, Hermione, and Jake were looking equally bored, he fell silent.

They were almost at the apartment complex when they heard the sound of wheels and a voice from behind that said, "Yo, Jakie, 'sup, dog?"

Jake turned quickly, the other four following the suit.

"Who is that?" Charlie whispered.

"My friends. Y'all know'em right? Sorta, I mean, you sat next to them in class..."

"Dude, you have to come to the new skate park!" said Trixie.

"Man, I wish...but I've got to go with them. They know," he added.

"Say wha-?"

"Yo, Trix, no worries. They're involved. I'll call you n' Spud t'night and give ya the 4-1-1, a'ight?"

"Whatever, dog."

Spud, this whole time, was looking like a huge tragedy had hit. Jake, knowing what was going on in his friend's mind, rolled his eyes and said, "No worries, bro. I haven't replaced y'all."

"Fine, but that's what they all say. Later, bro."

"'They know'?" Charlie mimicked afterward. "So I guess they know about you as well."

"Yeah, but it was kinda an accident that they found out," Jake laughed.

When they got to the apartment, they walked into the living room to see Draco Malfoy sprawled on the couch as if he owned the place, smug look on his face.

His smug look turned to pure anger and hatred however, when he laid eyes on Jake. "You!" he growled.

"That punk from the cafeteria!" Jake muttered angrily. "You're goin' down, fool!"

Malfoy swept out his wand, but thinking better of it, calmly put it in his pocket, and without warning, lunged at Jake, knocking him clean off his feet. Hermione gasped, and Harry and Ron instantly tried to help, but Jake refused. "I've got it," he kept saying.

By now, quite a few people (Fred and George-cheering for Jake, even though they didn't know him, because he was fighting Malfoy, Katie Bell, and-to Harry's horror-Cho.)

Suddenly the door burst open, revealing Dumbledore and Lao Shi. Hagrid, who was another chaperone, ran in from a back room, and, as easily as if they were a sack of potatoes, lifted Jake and Malfoy up, one in each hand, by the scruff of their shirt collars, pulling them apart.

"What is going on?" shrieked Lao Shi.

"I want the truth," said Dumbledore, solemn blue eyes resting on Malfoy overtop his half-moon spectacles.

"It isn't your business," muttered Malfoy.

"See, that's your problem!" Jake said, annoyed. "You're such a bossy know it all freak!"

"No, that would be Granger."

Hermione flushed, but remained silent. Jake however, reacted differently. "Shut up! This never would have happened if you hadn't attacked me at lunch today..." And sighing, he began to explain what happened.


	6. Chapter 6

"See, during lunch," Jake paused and turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and said, "you guys didn't see it 'cuz I guess you have a different lunch…anyway," he said, getting back on subject, "Trixie and Spud and I were eating lunch, like we normally do, and he comes up and starts askin' all these freaky questions."

"Like what?" said Dumbledore, staring Malfoy down.

"I dunno…like at first, it was normal. 'What's your name? How old are you?' Then he started asking stuff like where I lived and what I did in my spare time, and if I had a job…and when I told him that I worked in Granpa's shop, he started askin' stuff like what he's like and if I'm close to him, then what we do in our spare time, and all kinds of stuff about my family. He then asked if I believed in magic and magical creatures…I was almost sure that he knew about me."

At this point, Malfoy was looking absolutely furious, but remained silent because almost all eyes were on him.

"I told him yeah, that they could be real, and he asked which ones I was most interested in, and naturally, I said dragons. He seemed to get really freaked out for a second, then he just sorta snapped. He started yelling at me, telling me he knew stuff that I would never know, and that we were never going to be friends, then he said something about somebody being right. I didn't know what the heck he was yelling about, and he was making people look at me funny, and Trixie and Spud were starting to looked freaked, and so I told him that he'd better back off. He got real mad but didn't do anything. I dunno. I thought he was psycho or somethin'."

Malfoy glared at him, and said, "Okay, I admit that I got a little steamed. I was just asking him about himself, and he got mad and told me to back off. I then raised my voice. And I never said anything he said."

"I don't know what either of you were thinking," said Dumbledore. "I do not know what went on today, as you both have different stories. However, Mr. Malfoy, when we return to Hogwarts, you will have detention, and Mr. Long, I shall let your grandfather punish you as he sees fit."

Jake glanced at Lou Shi, to see if he was off the hook, but Lou Shi was still looking very steamed.

"Okay, let us put this business behind us. Everyone who hasn't figured it out already," said Dumbledore, because everyone who was on the trip was now in the room, looking curious, "this is Jake Long, and although he is not a wizard, he does have an extraordinary power…I'll let him show you in his own time…" and he turned to Charlie and Hagrid. "Watch Harry and Jake, and keep an eye on Mr. Malfoy as well. I do not want a repeat of earlier. I must return to Hogwarts." He disappeared with a crack.

Jake had made many new friends by the end of the day. When he showed them that he was a dragon, several girls were a little wary of him, but a while later, a couple were attached to him. Harry was relieved to see that Cho wasn't one of them. Jake was in heaven.

But that would soon change.


	7. Chapter 7

Jake was in his room packing when Harry showed up. "Hi," said Harry, grinning at Jake's messy room.

Jake frowned back at him.

"What's wrong?" Harry inquired, stepping over a pile of clothes and a stack of CDs to get to his friend.

"I dunno..." Jake muttered. "It's just...I'm not sure if this wizard school thing is going to turn out okay. I mean, I am so not going to fit in."

"But you don't fit in with the muggles either," Harry pointed out.

"Hm."

"I'm sure that isn't all your worried about," Harry added.

Jake grimaced. "I guess not. But you have to admit, you don't look too thrilled either."

"Yeah...I suppose..." the young wizard faltered, then said, "Things are getting pretty scary now, what with Voldemort back."

"And the Dark Dragon," Jake muttered.

"Right."

"And you know, if you think about it...if Dumbledore's right, and DD is a horcrux, then think how powerful Voldemort must be to have made him."

"Thanks," Harry said sarcastically. "I feel loads better."

Jake sighed. "Well, things'll turn out fine, I'm sure." Grinning, he changed the subject. "So...does anyone in your school have a sense of humor for practical jokes...besides Fred and George?"

"Oh yeah," Harry said, warming up on the subject. "All of their friends, and loads of mine as well. You know, I think you'll quite enjoy Hogwarts...you may never get away from Hagrid badgering you though."

Jake grimaced. The game-keeper and Charlie alike had been pestering him about his powers non-stop. Sometimes he even resorted to using Harry's cloak just to hide from them. "And Charlie...?"

"Don't worry about him, he's going back to Romania. Trust me, Hogwarts is great."

"Yeah..." said Jake doubtfully. Hogwarts sounded fun, but he still had some doubts...and of course, there was still the evil lurking everywhere behind them...even if not visible...

 


	8. Chapter 8

"So...are you ready?" Harry asked Jake as the large group of students, accompanied by Hagrid and Dumbledore, walked to a deserted part of Central Park, where a portkey was waiting for them, ready to take them back to Hogwarts.

"I guess..." Jake muttered.

Hermione noticed the tension in his voice and asked, "You okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," the thirteen-year-old said. "Well, apart from being a little sore from this morning."

"What happened?" Cho asked, sounding a bit concerned.

Jake grinned. "I think my mom left bruises on my arms this morning-" when everyone stared at him, startled, he hastily added, "-by hugging me."

Everyone rolled their eyes or laughed, save for Malfoy, who just scowled. Ever since the fight, the two boys had not uttered a word to each other, and each loathed each other greatly.

As the large group headed deeper into the woods, they heard a menacing voice say, "I'll get you yet, centaur!"

At that moment, a centaur rushed by them, and said, "Huntsclan! Run!" Then he darted out of sight.

Jake instantly went to dragon form and rushed forward, closely followed by the group of wizards, hoping to see him in action

Jake darted forward and rose into the sky. "Yo, Huntspunk!" he yelled. "Stop huntin' down magical creatures, ya hear? 'Cuz one o' these days, you're gonna fail..." He grinned. "No wait, I meant today."

"Huntsgirl," Huntsman yelled, and a second later, the tall, slender youth appeared beside her master, ready to fight.

"Hey, baby," Jake said, taking on a con-fu pose. "What're you doin' in this neck o' the woods? Isn't the terrain a little rough for you?"

"Ha!" Huntsgirl scoffed as she began attacking.

They fought for several minutes, and it looked like Jake was going to win, until...

"Dragon!" yelled Huntsman. Jake looked over and groaned.

Huntsman had his weapon on the group of wizards who had been watching the battle, Ron's face full of amazement and wonder, Harry's a mix of 'wow' and...maybe...jealously...but probably Jake was imagining things, Hermione, a look of pure fascination, and Hagrid...well, he was in heaven. The other students looked stunned.

Now, everyone seemed frightened. Nobody seemed to notice that Dumbledore was missing. Hagrid stepped forward, looking very angry and growled, "You'd better lower that thing now, you vile-", but before he could finish, Huntsman shot a warning shot at Hagrid's feet, and the giant remained silent.

"Dragon," repeated Huntsman, throwing Huntsgirl a pair of glowing green handcuffs, not taking his eyes or weapon off the wizards, "put your hands behind your back and allow your capture or see your friends die...one by one." He then noticed Harry, and his eyes lit up. "Harry Potter..." he said, and yanked Harry roughly by the arm to where he was standing, and aimed the Huntstick at the boy's neck. Harry daren't struggle, in fear of instant death, but rather sent the Huntsman a dirty look while his friends, helpless to do anything, watched in horror.

Jake was about to comply when they heard a strong voice from behind. "Release Harry and put away your weapon," Dumbledore said softly, hardly. His eyes were not twinkling, and his wand was out. And pointing at the Huntsman.

"Albus Dumbledore..." he hissed, his efforts to hide his fear in vain.

"Release Harry and put away your weapon," Dumbledore repeated.

Scowling, Huntsman pushed Harry back to his friends and muttered, "You aren't worth my time anyway. Huntsgirl-let's go!" And as they disappeared in a flash of green light, they gave their usual farewell of, "We will meet again, Dragon!"

After they were gone, Jake shifted to human form and rushed to his friends. "Harry, you okay?" he asked.

Harry nodded, looking annoyed. "I'm fine...I just wonder...how does he know so much?"

Jake's brow furrowed as he answered, "You know, I agree...there's something fishy going on here."

Fred and George grinned. "Well, either way, we're alive and Harry has once again escaped the clutches of evil! Three cheers for Harry!"they teased, then broke into a round of "He's a jolly good fellow".

Harry grinned, but couldn't help feeling that something was wrong about the way Huntsman had acted...

And evil was still only a few steps behind...


	9. Chapter 9

"Dude, this place is flippin' huge!" Jake breathed as the Hogwarts castle came into view.

"Yeah, it is," Ron agreed. "But it always looks a lot bigger when you're looking at it from down here in these chariots too."

"How come there's no horse?" Jake asked.

An unusual silence fell over the group. Finally Hermione said, "There is. Well, not a horse, exactly. But a creature that can only be seen if you've witnessed with your own eyes...a death."

"Oh," Jake muttered. "Sorry."

Harry grinned. " _No prob, dude_ ," he said. Then he added, "How's my New York accent coming along?"

"Face it, bro," Jake retorted, "you might as well be condemned to drinking tea and eating crumpets the rest of your life."

* * *

The Gryffindor common room was a flurry of activity as Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Jake entered. "Welcome back!" cheered Lee Jordon, then draped his arms around Fred and George's shoulders. "Come on, fellows," he said, "I want you to see my new vampire bat."

"Let's go!" Fred and George said in unison.

Jake snorted. "Vampire bat?"

"Yes," said Hermione, sniffing disapprovingly. "Jordan always has some sort of wretched creature he's looking after."

"He's not as bad as Hagrid," Ron argued. "Stupid idiot keeping that horrible dragon our first year...oops," he added sheepishly, looking at Jake imploringly. "Sorry?"

"Ahhh, forget it."

* * *

"How was the first half of your first day at Hogwarts?" Harry asked at lunch the next day.

"Yeah, and why are you so late?" Ron added. "Lunch is halfway over."

"Sorry, dudes, but I got lost. A lot."

"No," Fred's voice rang out as the twins walked toward them. Or was it George? Jake never could decide. "The great dragon never gets lost."

"Oh no!" the other said, "he glides the winds like a mighty eagle, searching out his next helpless rescue!"

"Of course!" Fred(?) chimed in, grinning from ear to ear. "He is the master of the skies, the lord of the air, the father of-"

"Now, now," came Lao Shi's voice. The twins jumped down from their positions on the table, still grinning. "Jake's head is already big enough. Please do not enlarge it by such prattle."

"Oh, BURN!" Jake said, loud enough to attract attention from the Slytherin table. Malfoy shot him a death glance but Jake shrugged it off. "Well, the Am-Drag can't stick around! The 'master of the skies' will be late for Potions...oh, crap. That's a class I actually have to do stuff in."

"And what have you been doing in the other classes?" Lao Shi asked severely.

"Uh, see ya!"

And he was gone.

"Aya. The young dragon will never learn."

"Of course he will-he's the master of knowledge, the lord of understanding, the father of-" Fred began.

"Forget it, bro. Shi's gone."

"You scared him off!"

"You did!"

"How about this?" Fred compromised. "He took one look at Hermione and took off screaming."

"That looks like what we need to do right now."

"Agreed."

The twins raced off, Hermione right behind them.


	10. Chapter 10

"Wow, that was a drag," Jake commented as he slouched out of Potions with Ron, Harry, and Hermione beside him.

"Oh, well, actually-" Hermione began, but fell silent when Harry threw her a withering look.

"Yes, a drag it was," he agreed.

"I mean, what's up with that Snape dude? He like hates us or somethin'!"

Ron snorted. "Hating us is putting it mildly." He frowned. "I wonder why he doesn't like you, though."

"He's in Gryffindor, I guess," Harry put in.

"Maybe."

"Personally," Jake said, "I think the dude's got it in for anyone not in his own house."

"Oh, yeh, he definitly does," Ron hastily agreed.

With that, they changed the subject.

"What do we have next?" Jake asked.

"Well..." Hermione began hesitantly.

"What?"

"Well...we have Care of Magical Creatures."

"So?"

"So...Hagrid teaches it."

"Oh. Great." Jake grinned. "Hey, will the Am-Drag get to show off his mad skills?"

His friends laughed. "No doubt about it," Harry said, grinning. "Hagrid is so excited about you being here. He's obsessed with dragons, and he's going to refuse to leave you alone."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that," Jake commented, recalling the countless times the gamekeeper had stopped him in the hallways, going on and on about how amazing dragons were and such.

"Oh, and there's even more good news," Ron said sarcastically as the four friends drew closer to Hagrid's hut.

"Oh, boy, can't wait to hear it!" Jake said in false excitement.

Ron stared at him. "Uh...Jake? I was being sarcastic."

Jake snorted. "Yeah, dude, so was I."

Ron's ears turned red as Jake asked what the "good news" was.

"We have this class with the Slytherins."

"Oh, joy."

During the class, Hagrid had Jake display his dragon side, and the young dragon performed everything his grandfather had taught him. It was a pleasant change for the Gryffindors; they usually detested the hideous creatures Hagrid had in store for them, and the fact that Jake was one of them made it all the better.

The Slytherins, however, were not entertained. As the class dispersed, Jake went human and headed through the thick crowd of amazed and excited Gryffindors to Ron, Harry, and Hermione. "Whew, I'm beat!" he breathed.

Harry grinned at him. "Did the 'Am-Drag' have a good time showing off his 'mad skills'?"

Jake laughed. "Come on, 'Crumpet Boy'. Do you really think you can talk like a New-Yorker?"

Before Harry could retort, Malfoy, Crabb, and Goyle came up to the four. Instead of taking up his usual "Harry taunting", the blonde menace addressed Jake.

"You think you're so amazing, don't you?" he taunted. "Well, you're not. That old oaf doesn't know what he's talking about. Let me just tell you one thing, Long: you'd better watch your back." With that, he and his possy stalked off.

"Wow, talk about attitude problems," Jake said.

"Jake, I don't know," Hermione said, sounding worried. "They can be pretty nasty sometimes."

Jake shrugged off her comment. "Please, the Am-Drag is more than ready to handle those bozos."

But he was in no way prepared for the evil that was in store for him...not too far away...


	11. Chapter 11

As time went by, Jake began to adjust to life at Hogwarts, and got to know the students and teachers even better. He came to loathe Potions class, and turned his nose up at any mention of Snape or the Slytherins. He and Malfoy jumped at any chance to insult or assault each other.

Jake had received several detentions, for things such as smart mouthing teachers, especially Professor Snape, making fun of Professor Flitwick, and getting into a fist fight with Draco Malfoy, but despite this, was thoroughly enjoying his stay at the school.

He spent most of his time with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and had become a bit romantically involved with a Hufflepuff second year, Samantha Conner. He had almost forgotten about the threat of the Dark Dragon and Lord Voldemort.

Jake awoke one Friday morning to the sound of someone shuffling about down in the common room. "Ear of the dragon," he hissed, and then listened intently as his human ear shifted into that of a dragon. He could now hear clearly the sound of someone pacing back and forth on the floor, obviously deep in thought. The sound wasn't very loud, and Jake assumed the person was a girl.

'So, there's a lady down there that's distressed. Maybe the Am-Drag can cheer her up a bit,' he thought, grinning to himself.

He morphed his dragon ear back to human form, then walked casually down the stairs, ready to lend his aid to whoever was pacing about. When he got to the bottom of the steps, he was momentarily stunned at the person that was there. She was about his age, with blonde hair and blue eyes as clear as the sea. She was tall, and although she wore a typical Hogwarts uniform of black robes and cloaks, instead of her usual pink pants and flower printed shirt, Jake would recognize her anywhere.

"Rose?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Jake?" Rose seemed as surprised as he was. "What—what are you doing here?"

"Me? Yo, what about you? I mean…you're not—" he hesitated, lost for words.

"Magical?" Rose finished for him. She looked very shook up, but Jake couldn't fathom why. Sure, he was surprised, maybe even shocked, to see Rose here, but he was happy. Rose, however, seemed appalled that he was even in the same vicinity as her.

"Uh…yeah."

"Well…I—" Rose was fumbling over her words, looking very distracted and upset. "I, er, am not really that magical…I'm, uh, well, a…squib!" she finished, flushing.

"A…squib?"

"You mean, you're at Hogwarts, and you don't even know what a squib is?" She looked more upset than before.

"No, Rose, I just…"

"Couldn't believe I was one, right?"

"Uh…sure, we'll go with that."

"What about you?" She seemed to be dreading the answer.

"Yo, I'm…" he almost blurted out that he was the American Dragon, but something in his gut instinct told him not to. Not just yet, anyway. "I'm—pphhht—like, half in half, you know, like, my…erm…mom is totally half wizard, and I am like such an awesome wizard dude that Hogwarts…called me all the way from London to come here." He grinned, hoping she'd buy his lie. He didn't know why he'd bothered, however, because she would find out soon enough, considering everyone else knew as well.

"Oh, that's—that's awesome. I'm happy for you."

"Yeah, baby, and I'm happy that you're a squib, too!"

Rose looked amused, then said, "I know, it's awesome, huh? Look, Jake, it's totally awesome…and weird…that we met up here, but, uh, I've kinda got somewhere to be right now, okay?"

"Sure, baby, whatever…"

"We'll talk later, okay?"

Jake wondered why she seemed so nervous. She left, looking very flustered.

"Jake…what are you doing up so early, mate?" Jake jumped. Harry had appeared at the top of the stairs. "Who were you talking to down there, anyway?"

"Uh, no one." Harry raised an eyebrow, not convinced. "Myself." The eyebrow went higher. "My invisible friend?" Jake didn't think that eyebrow could shoot up any higher. He was wrong.

"You don't have to lie to me," Harry insisted.

"I'm not. Okay, I was. It was just a friend…someone I kinda didn't expect to see here."

"So why did you lie about it?"

"I dunno."

"Okay." Harry yawned, and headed back up to bed.

* * *

Rose walked to the Forbidden Forest, heart heavy. She knew why Jake was there. And she knew the gravity behind it all. But it shouldn't matter. It couldn't.

A tall, cloaked figure wearing furs stepped out of the forest. It was the Huntsman. "You have a report, Thorn?"

"Yes, Master. I…found him. I know who the American Dragon is."


	13. Chapter 13

A week passed, and no suspicious activity arose. Jake was beginning to think that coming here had been a waste. He seemed safe here, why wouldn't he be at home?

The only thing that bothered him was Rose. Why had she really come here? He was now almost positive that it was not what she had said. Later on, after their first, unexpected meeting, Jake had asked Hermione what a squib was. She had replied, "Oh, don't you read? Jake, a squib is a person who was born to two wizard parents, but have little, or no, magic, and, with much help, hard work, and practice, can master only the simplest of spells. Why do you ask?"

Jake had merely shrugged and said that he was "just curious". But now, as he really thought about it, he realized, it didn't add up. If Rose really was a squib, and a squib from America, at that, why would Hogwarts send her an invitation to their British school? The more he contemplated, the more he doubted. But he really wanted to trust Rose.

That evening, Jake made his way down to Hagrid's hut to have tea with the Care of Magical Creatures professor, and his grandfather. He froze in shock as he looked into the door, however. Hagrid was lying motionless on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding his hairy head. Fang, his bloodhound, was not moving, but did not seemed to be injured. Jake figured he was stunned. Then, he saw with horror, that his grandfather had been trapped in a sphinx hair net, and was in his human form.

The Huntsman stood above them, red eyes gleaming. Huntsgirl stood beside him, her head bowed.

"Do it. Now."

Huntsgirl aimed her stick. Before Jake could react, a flash of green light hit him squarely in the chest. The world grew fuzzy, and he knew no more.


	14. Chapter 14

Harry was in the common room, reading  _Quidditch Throughout the Ages_ , when a girl burst into the room, her black robes billowing behind her. "You're Harry, right?" she demanded in her American accent.

Harry realized that this was Rose, the girl Jake had a very big crush on. He himself hadn't talked to her much since she had come to Hogwarts, but had seen her in classes and the common room some. "Yes. What's wrong?"

"It's Jake!" Rose puffed, trying without success to catch her breath. "Something horrible's happened!"

Harry was on his feet at once. "What? What happened?"

Rose was near tears, but Harry was too anxious to notice. "Rose, tell me!"

"I was walking near Hagrid's place, and I heard voices coming from inside. Very loud voices. Hagrid and Lao Shi were cornered by a man in furs—his face was masked."

"The Huntsman," Harry muttered.

Rose looked confused, but didn't voice it. She continued, "Hagrid was unconscious—and bleeding." Harry felt a large knot begin to form in the pit of his stomach.

"And…?"

"Lao Shi was trapped in a net. I was about to run for help when I saw Jake coming. Before I could yell out a warning, he went inside and got hit with a bolt of green light. Then the robed man, Lao Shi, and Jake all disappeared."

Harry was already hurrying toward the portrait hole. "And Hagrid?" he asked. "What about him?"

"He was left there, as well as his dog. I let Professor Sprout know that he was knocked out—I saw her on my way up here—and I came up here to tell you."

As they exited the common room together, Harry stopped short and asked, "Wait a minute. Why did you come to me? And why not tell a professor what happened to Jake?"

Rose faltered. "Um…well…I knew you and Jake are good friends, so I…" she broke off, tears in her eyes.

"Rose, tell me the truth," Harry said fiercely.

Rose shook her head. "I…I can't."

"Yes, yes you can," Harry insisted.

"No. If I do, I'll be killed. Just…just come on! I know where Jake is." Without another word, Rose darted down the corridor and out of site.

Harry, bewildered, followed her. Little did he know, things were only about to get worse.


	15. Chapter 15

_Jake's dreams were filled with strange and unfamiliar images: a tall, skeletal man robed in black, with red eyes that gleamed in an expression of pure malice. His white, spidery fingers caressed a wand as he loomed over Harry and Jake. Then, suddenly, he sprouted black wings out of his back; his red eyes turned a luminescent yellow, and his body erupted in flames as scales sprouted on top of his skin. His form twisted as it morphed into that of a powerful beast-the Dark Dragon. The Huntsman, along with Huntsgirl and the rest of the Clan knelt on their hands and knees in front of the horrific monster. 'Master...' the Huntsman whispered, 'they are here.'_

* * *

"Dragon...it is time for you to return to the land of the living for a short spell," a cold, malicious voice rang out of the darkness. Jake groaned as his eyes fluttered open; his head was aching horribly. He tried to speak, but found that a wad of black cloth had been shoved into his mouth; he couldn't make a sound. Upon trying to move, he realized that he was in a very bad situation. His hands were tied behind his back with what seemed to be magically reinforced sphinx hair rope, and his feet were also bound.

He glanced around and saw the Huntsman standing over him, his red eyes shining in anticipation and excitement. "Finally, Dragon, I have you and your pathetic excuse for a dragon master."

Hearing that his grandfather was in the clutches of the villain as well, Jake jerked up to a sitting position, ignoring the protest from his aching head and restrained limbs, and saw that his grandfather was in human form, lying in a net strung from the high ceiling of what seemed to be a stone hut.

"I suppose you are wondering where we are," the Huntsman said lazily. He seemed to be the only other being in the room at the moment. "We are in a small shelter built in the heart of the rocky crevices in the Island of Draco."

Jake was startled. Dumbledore and his grandfather had seemed certain that the two hunted teens would be safe on the Isle of Draco, for that was their plan for the summer. Yet here he was, trussed up and terrified, on the island itself."

"Yes, I suppose your grandfather and that fool Albus thought you would be safe here. Thankfully, however, one of my master's servants, a rat of a man named Peter Pettigrew, was spying on you. That is how we were able to know that you were going to Hogwarts and planted the Huntsgirl there in disguise as a student."

Jake stared at the man in surprise.

"Yes...and that is how we knew that when we kidnapped you at that menace of a boy, Potter, the best place to hide you until my master is done with you would be here, where no one expected it. Everyone thought that this would be a safe haven for you and your little friend."

There was a moment of silence. "I have sent Huntsgirl on a very important mission. Any minute now, she will return with Harry Potter in her clutches. Then our master will slay you both and his work will finally be done."

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed Rose to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The girl was about to charge into the trees when Hermione grabbed her arm. "Rose! I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but..."

Rose sighed, exasperated. "Maybe you don't understand! Jake is in serious danger! We have to get to the Isle of Draco!"

Harry stared at her. "The Isle of Draco? Rose, why would he be there? It's supposed to be safe there. What aren't you telling us?"

Rose took a deep breath. "A lot. And I'll be happy to explain it to you. Really. I will. But right now, we've got a big problem on our hands, and it needs to be fixed!"

"What's going on?" Ron burst out, looking aghast and terrified.

"Fine!" Rose yelled angrily. "I'll give you a brief summary of what's been going on, if it'll make you shut up and follow me!" She glared at them all, then spit out, " _I'm_ the Huntsgirl!" They all gasped, disbelieving. "Yes! It's true. I was the one who shot Jake with the bolt of light. I knew almost the whole time I was here that he was the American Dragon. But I like him. I really, really do. So I sorta tricked the Huntsmaster. I did tell him who the American Dragon is. We did capture Jake. But he's not going to kill him until Harry's there too. So if you guys come with me, we can ambush him and take him down. Then maybe we can get out of there before the Dark Dragon comes out to finish you all!"

There was a stunned silence. Finally, Harry said, "The Dark Dragon? Is he really the same as..."

Rose nodded. "It's true. Voldemort-" ("don't say that name," Ron pleaded), "-and the Dark Dragon are the same. And they've got common goals: to kill the likes of you."


	16. Chapter 16

"One question," said Harry, not looking happy at all about their predicament. "How do we get to the Isle of Draco?"

"You forget, I'm the Huntsgirl. My staff can transport us anywhere."

"Kind of like Apparating, huh?" Ron wanted to know.

Rose nodded. "Kind of like that."

* * *

"Dragon...are you scared?" Jake glared openly at his captor, unable to speak and move. He wanted to tell that slimy creep that no, he wasn't afraid. The Huntsman should be the one that is scared, because as soon as he got untied, he would be making a beat down on that jerk. But, of course, speech was impossible, so the boy settled for fuming.

"Jake...do not worry...I am sure that help will come..."

Jake barely heard the weak voice in the silent cavern. It was his grandfather's, from the net above him, and it filled him with hope. He twisted his body around so that he could gaze up into his grandpa's eyes, and saw comfort in their black depths. He nodded, and then gasped in pain as the Huntsman slapped him brutally across the face, leaving a red mark. Lao Shi sucked in his breath.

"Yes, Old Dragon, there had better be silence. If you talk again, I'll do more to your grandson than hit him. I'm sure you know that I can do much, much worse to a dragon." He chuckled, and Lao Shi sent Jake an apologetic glance. But Jake shook his head. He had needed those words of comfort, despite the pain it had cost him.

He only hoped that his wise old grandfather was right. If help wasn't on the way...well, the prospect was too horrible to contemplate.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione blinked in surprise as they found themselves appearing in New York City, in front of a nice house with a pleasant front yard. "Rose, did something go wrong?" Harry asked. "We really can't afford a detour."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I know what I'm doing, and I'm taking a big risk coming here. This is Trixie Carter's house-remember her?" The others nodded, and she went on. "Spud should be here, too-they usually chill together at her house after school."

Ron shrugged. "So?"

"So, if we are going to take on Voldemort-fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself,  _Ron-_ and the Dark Dragon, then we are going to need all the help we can get."

Five minutes later, the four friends were joined by Trixie and Spud, who were eager to help their friend. There was a flash of green light as the six people disappeared, only to reappear right into the Dark Lord's clutches.


	17. Chapter 17

"Where are we?" Ron whispered, and Rose shushed him, hearing voices from the next room. The trio could faintly hear the Huntsman's voice—low, serpentine, and malicious.

' _Soon, the Dark Lord—the Dark Dragon—will be go for Harry Potter. Once the two of you are reunited, there will be no hope for you…for we will kill you, side by side, like the pair of worthless pieces of scum you are. With you two out of the way, nothing will stop the Dark One from rising to full power and taking over the magical—and mortal—world like he meant to do fourteen years ago.'_

There was no response from Jake, and this concerned Trixie. "Yo, something's wrong," she hissed, glancing at Rose desperately. "Really wrong. If Jake had any way of talking at all, he'd be smart-mouthin' that Huntsfreak for sure."

"Yeah," Spud put in dreamily. "Right about now, he'd be all, 'Dude, I'm gonna give you a major beat down, or some such nonsense."

Everyone stared at him for a minute and he grinned. "That's what I would do."

"We cannot just sit around here waiting," Harry said, and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"We have to move in, soon," she said.

"Alright. You guys stay out here," Rose ordered. Seeing that Harry was about to argue, she insisted, " _Don't let yourselves be seen or heard._ From what we just heard, we know they still think Harry's at Hogwarts. For now, it needs to stay that way. Besides, they don't know you guys are here, and they have no reason not to trust me as far as they know."

Hermione nodded. "It makes sense."

"Maybe," said Trixie.

"But I still don't like it," put in Harry.

"Well, too bad!" Rose snapped fiercely. "Jake's life is at stake here and I, for one, am not going to do anything to risk it!" With that, she rounded the corner and stepped boldly into the room.

* * *

The first thing Rose noticed was Jake, and his position frightened her. She had never seen him so helpless. He lay on the floor, bound with sphinx hair rope and gagged with a black cloth. There was a darkening bruise on his cheek, and she knew without a doubt that the Huntsman had inflicted the injury on him.

Rose took a deep breath to steady herself, and forced her eyes away from his still form. Lao Shi, his dragon master, was in human form as well, hanging by a sphinx hair net from the ceiling. Huntsman stood in the center of the room, gloating. His red eyes screamed delight.

"You are back, Huntsgirl. Where have you been?"

Jake craned his neck to get a better view of her. His eyes were filled with anger. She hated seeing him look at her like that.

She pulled off her mask and his eyes widened in shock.


	18. Chapter 18

_This is SO not happening,_  Jake thought as he looked into Rose's face.

"Master," Huntsgirl said, forcing herself to look away from Jake's shocked face, and trying her best to show no recognition.

"Did you bring me the Potter boy?" Huntsman asked, red eyes gleaming.

"Master, I-"

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of yellow light, and as it faded, everyone gasped at the hideous sight of Lord Voldemort standing in front of them, his red eyes glistening and slit-like nostrils dilating in excitement. He eyed the Huntsman and Huntsgirl, then Jake, and then glanced over to the hallway just out of sight, and finally let out a shrill, bone-chilling chortle.

Harry grasped his scar and gasped in pain, falling to his knees. Ron and Hermione rushed to help, trying to remain as silent as possible, both nearly frozen with fear.

Voldemort took a step toward Jake, who stared at this horrible vision, terrified. The evil wizard knelt down beside Jake and touched his pale face with a long, bony finger. Jake shuddered at the touch and tried to squirm away. Voldemort stepped back and turned to his minions-the Huntsclan.

"As you can see," he hissed, "I have rejoined with my dragon side-my most powerful horcrux. I am in my human form now because despite my strength and power when I am a dragon, I am still more powerful in my true form-especially now that my horcrux has returned." He paused, then said, "Tell him, Rose."

Rose was horrified, too afraid to speak. "Huntsgirl!" Huntsman yelped.

This was bad, Rose thought. A major flaw in their plan. Voldemort/Dark Dragon wasn't supposed to come until later. There was no way they could defeat and ambush him.

"Master, about Harry Potter-"

"She brought him," came a low, sad voice from the corridor. Harry had stepped into view, followed by a very terrified Ron and Hermione. "I'm here."

Voldemort smiled evilly. "Let the games begin."

Harry and Voldemort faced each other with determined faces, and at once, Voldemort cast a curse. Harry jumped out of the way, and the Cruciatis Curse barely missed him.

"Hey, don't I get a say in this battle?" Jake yelled from his spot on the floor. He was tired of being tied up and eager to help Harry fight, and with Rose's help, he had secretly been able to get the gag off.

"I'll deal with you later," Voldemort growled. The Dark Lord turned back to Harry, but Jake had other ideas.

"C'mon, Dark Dragon, I know you're in there somewhere, and I know you're itching to let the Am-Drag join."

Voldemort's eyes flashed yellow, and for a moment, Jake was staring into the eyes of the Dark Dragon plastered onto Voldemort's face. "I will deal with you later," he growled once more and then turned his head back to Harry. Rose quickly ducked down and released Jake, whispering, "I'm sorry, I'll explain later."

Jake watched Harry and Voldemort circle each other, and then a strange thought occurred to him. Why hadn't Voldemort/Dark Dragon wanted to fight both Harry and Jake? "Yo, DD," he grinned, morphing into dragon form. "Next time, tie your knots a little tighter!" He did not in any way imply that Rose had freed him. "Not that there will be a next time!"

An angry growl came from deep within Voldemort's throat, and he morphed into dragon form and swatted Jake aside with a wave of a scaly black hand. He then turned back to human form to duel with Harry. That was when Jake realized something, and, looking into Harry's eyes, he had a feeling that his friend had discovered the same thing.

 _I am more powerful than his human side,_ Jake reasoned,  _and Harry is more powerful than his dragon side._

It only made sense. Dragons had power and strength, but no actual magic. They were not as quick and agile as humans in a confined space. So, while Dark Dragon and Jake were a perfect match in the volcanic shelter on Draco Island, Harry could move around faster, and could produce a spell that could kill or at least put him out of commission for a while without having to actually come in contact with the serpentine villain.

On the other hand, when he was Voldemort, Jake was a smaller dragon and could move about freely in the area that limited Dark Dragon's movements. He had more air space, and he could dodge the wizard's spells pretty well-just like avoiding the Huntsman's energy beams, he figured, and he had become a master at that. He was stronger in muscle than the human Voldemort, and could easily knock him out if could get close enough to him.

So this was why Voldemort/Dark Dragon hadn't wanted to fight both Jake and Harry at the same time. He knew that if they figured out that they could have access to his only weaknesses, they would destroy him.

"You," Voldemort growled, turning to Rose. "Recapture the dragon so that I can deal with this boy."

Huntsman scoffed and stepped forward. "Allow me, Milord."

"No!" Voldemort screamed, his red eyes flashing dangerously. "I want the girl to do it."

 _He knows,_ Jake thought with dread.  _He knows Rose freed me and tried to save me._

He got Harry's attention and mouthed, "Let's do this!"

Harry nodded, the ghost of a smile appearing on his pale face. As Voldemort was advancing on Rose, Jake took to the air and swatted at Voldemort, barely catching him in the side. With a roar of rage, the wizard spun around to face Jake, and morphed into dragon form. He smacked Jake in the jaw, sending him soaring across the cavern, almost knocking him out.

"Servant!" The dragon exclaimed. "Do something!"

But Rose had knocked Huntsman out with her Huntstick and was now sitting on top of his unconscious form, watching the show. Ron and Hermione rushed forward and took the Huntsman's Huntstick and aimed it at his head, ready if he woke up.

While Voldemort was in dragon form, Harry sent the  _Avada Kedavra_ spell, the killing curse, at the dragon's backside. Dark Dragon was thrown forward, but the spell hadn't killed him. Only weakened him. Barely.

The dragon morphed back to his human form and sent an agonizing wave of the Crutacious Curse Harry's way, making him fall to the ground, screaming and writhing. Jake took this opportunity to thump Voldemort with his tail, sending him flying across the room. As he was sailing along, Voldemort morphed back into dragon form and used his wings as a parachute. He missed hitting the cavern wall by a centimeter. He spun around to aim a blow at Jake, and once again, the killing curse hit his scaly backside. Roaring in anger, his yellow eyes darted around, trying to figure out a plan.

The Huntsman stirred beneath Rose, formally known as Huntsgirl, and Ron whacked him upside the head with his own Huntstick, while Hermione watched the battle with wide eyes. Huntsman was flung back into oblivion.

Suddenly Harry remembered something that he had learned earlier in Hagrid's DADA class. He could hear Hagrid now, his black eyes wild with excitement as he rumbled,  _Dragons are near indestructible, 'arry,_ he'd said, beaming over his favorite student in the school.  _Ter kill one'd take the strongest man alive-or a smart'en! Almost nobody knows a dragon's only weak spot's behind their left ear._

That was it! Harry realized.  _That's_ where he had to hit the Dark Dragon, AKA Voldemort. He got Jake's attention and casually scratched his left ear. Jake's face lit up! He understood! Harry stood ready for action, wand raised, and let the American Dragon do his thing.

"Fine, Big, Dark, and Ugly!" Jake yelled. "We all know that I can overpower you in your dragon form. Let's show Harry how much I can beat your butt on my own!"

The Dark Dragon chuckled. "Have at it, lizard," he hissed. The Dark Dragon turned his back on Harry, who waited until the back of his ear was in view. " _Avada Kedavra_!" he yelled, and the bolt of green light hit the dragon right on target.

His ugly face registering surprise, the dragon morphed into a human and flopped onto the floor, barely conscious. "You will pay for this," he hissed.

Jake and Harry both moved in for the kill, but in a flash of purple light, Voldemort was gone.

Three days later, Lao Shi, Harry, Jake, Ron, Hermione, Rose, Hagrid, and Albus Dumbledore had tea in Hagrid's hut.

"So he's still out there, huh?" Jake said, looking dejected, but otherwise okay. The bruise had pretty much faded on his cheek, and the soreness in his body was almost gone.

"Do not worry yourself, young one," Lao Shi beamed. "You and Harry did better than we could have hoped."

"I have reason to believe," Dumbledore interjected, "that you two will not have to worry about the Dark Dragon anymore."

Harry's eyes widened. "What do you mean, Professor?"

Smiling gently, Dumbledore explained, "When you hit him behind his left ear, you actually killed the Dark Dragon part of him. That horcrux is destroyed."

"So that means that Voldemort will have no grudge against you or your grandfather, Jake," Hermione beamed.

"Huh?" both Ron and Jake said at the same time.

"It makes sense," Rose supplied. "Technically speaking, the Dark Dragon and Voldemort were not the same person-er, creature. Each had his own agenda, personality, wants, and drive."

"Kind of like Multiple Personality Syndrome in the Muggle world," Hermione put in.

"Exactly. The Dark Dragon was all about killing Jake, but now that he's gone, Voldemort shouldn't have any recollection of Jake, or his hate for dragons. It's like Jake Long never existed in his world," Rose went on.

Hermione took up the explanation. "The Dark Dragon was killed when the curse hit him, Harry, and that takes a giant load off of everyone's chest. But still, Voldemort is out there, and he does know who you are."

"So I guess we're back to the way things were before Dark Dragon and Jake came into our lives, right?" Harry said sadly.

Jake grinned and flung an arm over Harry's shoulder. "Nah, man. I don't care if psycho-wizard remembers me or not-I'll help you beat him."

"Yeah," Harry smiled.

"And you know we will all stand beside you as well," Lao Shi said, and the others nodded. Hagrid jumped up in excitement.

"We'll git'em!"

Jake grinned. "From now on," he announced to the group that had grown to be like family in the past few months, "we're all in this together!"

**THE END**


End file.
